Day 22 - Holiday Bucket List
by iminyjo
Summary: Sharing three holiday seasons with the Christmas-crazy Grimes household has done wonders for Michonne Hill's Christmas Spirit. Still, it's one special Christmas list, where everyone's wishes come true, that might finally help her rediscover the magic of the Season. Day 22 in the Richonne Just Desserts *25 Days of Richonne* project.


Part of Richonne Just Desserts' **25 Days of Richonne** event on Tumblr. This corresponds to a picture prompt. This story can stand alone or be read with _Day 8_.

{Holiday Bucket List }

 _1._ Visit the Festival of Lights _\- Dr. Dré_

 _2._ _Watch Elf + Home Alone with the Family_ _\- Carl_

 _3._ _Bake Christmas Cookies all day_ _\- Hey Jude_

 _4\. Sport an Ugly Christmas Sweater to a Party - Carl_

 _5\. See a performance of The Nutcracker - Jude_

 _6._ _Deck the Halls – Fa-La- Laaaa!_ _\- Dré_

 _7._ _Spread Christmas Cheer by Singing Loud for all to Hear_ _\- Dré_

 _8._ _Construct a charming Gingerbread House_ _\- Jude_

 _9._ _Become a Professional Wrapper—as in presents_ … _\- Carl Poppa_

 _10\. Make someone's Christmas Wish Come True - Rick (aka Daddy Claus)_

 _11._ _Find the Perfect hot Cocoa Recipe. - The 'Rents_

 _12\. Spend time with_ _Family_ _and_ _Friends_ _\- Michonne (the Notorious M.O.M.)_

"I'm sorry but I didn't ask you over early for you to sit around my kitchen rubbing your big, round buddha belly and dispense advice like Confucius, Mrs. Ford," Michonne Hill said with exasperation. "Could you at least grab the ramekins out of that cupboard for me."

"I'm busy making a person over here. I don't know why you thought you could invite me over and use me as a beast of burden."

Michonne rolled her eyes at her and continued whipping her bowl of creme brulée with the hand-mixer, shaking her head. "You're right, I should have known better. Lazy."

"I'm moral support not 'actual' support," Sasha said hopping down with effort from her stool by Michonne. "You know you don't want me cooking anything. And Abe is only marginally better... on a barbeque. Honestly, I really don't know how that little girl hasn't starved to death with us for parents….What's this?" She asked standing by the refrigerator. "Is this _The List_?"

Michonne turned from the kitchen island to see what her best friend was talking about. She chuckled when she saw what Sasha was pointing at and nodded. Affixed with a magnet to the fridge was their family Christmas List. It had been the kids' idea, to create a so-called "bucket list" of things they could all do as a family over the holiday season. Michonne couldn't help feeling so proud of them. This was Carl's last year of high school and technically his last year at home. For him to have thrown himself so enthusiastically into what he could have easily thought he was too old for warmed her heart

"Yep, that's the infamous list."

"Randa and Judith can't stop talking about it. You know you guys are the talk of the school, right? Making the rest of us look bad. All the cuteness is really getting obnoxious." Sasha brought the stack of mini-ramekins over to Michonne and then eased back up onto the stool across from her. "Even last night at the recital, you, Rick, Carl and André all decked out in those horrible Christmas sweaters! And you're a blended family, for Heaven's sake. Y'all are supposed to be the definition of dysfunctional!"

"Gee, I'm sorry we can't oblige."

Michonne shrugged nonchalantly but smiled to herself facing away from her friend. "But good note, I know to add that to the list for next year. Oh, by the way, do me a favor and cross the sweaters off the list for me. And 'Seeing the Nutcracker' too. Jude really thought she was slick putting that on as one of her picks. It was the only way she could be absolutely sure Carl and André would come watch her be a Sugar Plum fairy."

Sasha laughed. "Why did you guys even decide to do this?"

"Here. Make yourself useful," Michonne handed Sasha a small spoonful of the mixture in the bowl to taste. "Well, it's our last Christmas in this house."

"Mmm," Sasha approved before removing the spoon from her mouth to add, "You guys finally decided? Really? You're actually selling this one?"

Michonne nodded, adding more vanilla extract to the batter after dipping her pinkie into the mixture to taste it herself. "Yeah, it just made the most sense. We can't be next-door neighbors forever. Carl is leaving and at this point, Jude's spent nearly as much time at my house as she can remember spending in this one. I'm doing okay and Andre's college fund has been set for a while from Mike's life insurance money. If he sells this house, Rick can add a little padding to Judith's college fund _and_ give Carl the freedom to go anywhere he wants. We're gonna take whatever's left and finish my basement so Carl has a nice big space when he comes home to visit and Rick and André can have a man-cave when he's at school. Plus, putting in that equity will help Rick feel like it's his house too."

"Smart plan as usual, but I don't think you have to worry about Rick feeling at home. Knowing the guy, I think he'll feel at home wherever you and the kids are."

"I hope s—" Michonne started before she was cut off by Judith and Sasha's daughter tearing into the kitchen. They ran around the island where the women were, screaming at the top of their lungs.

"Miranda Williams-Ford!" Sasha said sternly, halting both girls almost immediately. The smaller girl barreled into the back of the bigger one as they tried unsuccessfully to stop their momentum. They tumbled over themselves landing in a giggling heap at the foot of the kitchen table.

"It was Daddy!" Judith bellowed as both girls pointed and panted out of breath.

Both women turned to the doorway in time to see Rick grind to a halt at the mouth of the kitchen breathing heavily with his hand gripping the doorframe. He wasn't moving but his heaving chest gave lie to his demeanor.

"What?" He asked innocently when he could finally talk.

Michonne struggled not to laugh as the big white pom-pom on the end of the Santa hat he wore swung back and forth by his ear. Between that, his heinous green and red plaid pajama bottoms, and another hideous sweater with a knitted gingerbread man on it, she saw he'd changed into his full "Mr. Christmas" regalia.

"What did we say about running in the kitchen?" She chided the girls gently.

"It's a good way to lose an eye." Rick said at the very same time the girls recited, "We could hurt ourselves."

Michonne rolled her eyes at her ridiculous but also ridiculously cute boyfriend, "That's right girls, you could hurt yourselves."

"You two out. _You_ ," She pointed at Rick with her spatula, "in."

"What did I do?" Rick asked even as he slid happily into the room and cozied up behind Michonne. Looking over her shoulder at the contents of the mixing bowl. "Oooh, is that your creme brulée cheesecake I like?"

"Yes."

"And are you putting them in these tiny, little pie pan thangs?" He breathed on her neck seductively like the desserts turned him on. "For me?"

"Yes to that, but no, you don't get to eat them all. They're for the guests."

"But mostly for me, right?" He nodded, giving her a suggestive little nudge with his hips below the counter.

Despite the fact that he was behind her, Michonne could tell he was sharing a sly smile with Sasha by the woman's adoring expression. He further attempted to coax an answer out of Michonne by slipping his large hands around her waist to rest on her stomach. She fought the sudden feelings of undue distraction as she apportioned the batter into the ramekins. This was always his way and it always worked. As far as Michonne was concerned, _who needed dessert, when he was such a delicious distraction?_

"Just go check on your mother's ham." Michonne directed him, shooing him off, despite the fact that even after three years together she loved it when he put those excessively warm hands all over her. The man was like a walking, talking personal heater.

"How is it my mother's ham when you're the one cooking it?"

" _My_ mother has a ham recipe, correct? And I do too, _right_? But the ham in question, the one in the oven right now is, at your request, your mother's recipe. Is it not? Then, I rest my case."

"And this is what I get for sharing my life with a lawyer," Rick sighed to Sasha. "But who am I talking to? You're another one. I need to go commiserate with Abe."

"Not before you look at that ham," Michonne said with a smile. He was so damn cute she wondered frequently how she got so lucky.

"And make sure he finished stringing those lights on the banister," Sasha called after Rick once he had checked the oven and was walking out to rejoin the music and riotous cacophony of the rest of the house.

Michonne slipped the tray of desserts into the oven and took up the seat next to Sasha.

"I swear, you guys are like the freekin' Brady Bunch." Sasha said nearly astonished.

"Hardly. You should have been here when André accidentally broke Carl's PS4 controller."

"Whatever. That list is exhibits A through Z. I mean seriously, aside from the people living their best lives in those little pictures that come with the picture frames, who does that? And who gets buy-in from all their kids too? I can't even get Miranda to wear pants most days."

"Truth was, it was their idea," Michonne said before seeing Sasha's point with a guilty smile.

It had been spontaneous and fun and they had all dove in so completely to making sure the list reflected everyone. The kids even insisted Rick and Michonne each contributed their own item and then one as a unit. It was true, she was blessed, as she looked over at the evidence hanging on the fridge written in Judith's crazy, colorful, nine-year-old's script. She couldn't deny it and it felt almost ungrateful to try and remain humble in the face of such good fortune. Michonne had found the love of her life after despairing she'd ever find love of any sort again. Someone who loved her and her kid with all he had. Someone who had the kind of kids it was so easy to love in return. And then to top it all off, he had been just next door all along. Most people had to scour the world looking for their better half. Rick had turned up right in front of her holding a mug of spiked hot chocolate! No one had to tell her her story was unreal.

"Christmas Eve and just one more to go."

"You're telling me, y'all did all the rest of these?" Sasha asked incredulously spinning her chair and stroking her protruding abdomen like the villain's cat in a Bond film.

Michonne nodded with pride. "Yup. We only have Rick's wish left. For that, we're going to go to the children's ward of the hospital tomorrow and give out some Christmas gifts. It's so silly but of course, Rick was going all out with it...as usual. He's decided to go dressed up like Santa. I'm Mrs. Claus and the kids are gonna be elves."

"Like I said, y'all are sickening," Sasha said with a straight face before breaking into a smile. "Okay but the hot cocoa recipe? Rick's hot cocoa is perfection, it's _legendary_."

Michonne leaned forward into the island propping her face up on her elbow. " _Oh yeah_ , but we've got something even better now. After a lot of trial and error... if you know what I mean?"

"Oooh hot, boozy nights?" Sasha asked giving Michonne a naughty grin.

"Among other things." Michonne scrunched up her nose suggestively at her friend who squealed appreciatively like they were two teen girls.

"That's it! Abe and I need that recipe… _now_!"

"I think you and Abe are getting along just fine without the hot cocoa." Michonne said snarkily glaring directly at Sasha's stomach while her friend laughed uproariously.

* * *

Michonne heard noises on the stairs coming from the rumpus room in the basement.

"Did you hear that?" Her eyes popped open from where they had been closed, intent on enjoying the feeling of being in Rick's fevered embrace with his mouth on her neck. She tapped on his shoulder urgently. " _Did you hear that_? I think it's the kids. I think they're coming back up."

"So?" Rick whispered back, muffled by the fact that his face was under her sweater.

" _So?_ " She repeated attempting to pull herself out of his arms and straighten her clothes simultaneously. "What time is it?"

To Michonne's momentary sadness, Rick actually relented, letting her go. It almost didn't matter if they composed themselves. Anyone with eyeballs could quickly figure out what they'd been up to. Rick's face was beet-red, his lips were bee-stung and both of them had hair that was all over the place. Still, Michonne knew it wouldn't do for the kids to catch them with his shirt off and her's very nearly so in the middle of the den. She smiled at the condition of them both.

"Ten to midnight," Rick answered checking his watch before pulling his own sweater back on.

"Already?" She said stunned.

All their guests had left an hour and a half ago to go tuck their kids into bed in preparation for Santa Claus but Michonne's were still downstairs playing video games. Despite all Rick's influence, Michonne still wasn't the best at the Christmas stuff. When she heard the footsteps reach the landing she stood quickly and took a step back from the couch clumsily, just barely sidestepping the coffee table. Rick smiled at her sudden awkward modesty.

"Oh be quiet," She whispered to his smug face.

His eyes gleamed with mischief but he threw his hands up in surrender. "I'm not saying anything. Your face says it all, believe me."

Michonne turned away just as Carl came past the arched entryway to the den. Her face felt flush and hot just like the rest of her. She was so embarrassed suddenly. She walked over and fiddled with the ornaments on their gigantic tree as a distraction.

"Jude fell asleep down there. I figured I should bring her up." Carl told them in a hushed tone.

"Go ahead and leave her here, we'll go tuck her in in a minute." Rick instructed Carl behind her in a quiet voice.

"Can you tell Andre I'm giving him another ten minutes before it's his turn," Michonne added with her back still to him. "But come back before you head off to bed. I still have need of your professional wrap skillz, Carl Poppa."

She laughed at her own corny joke glancing back quickly at Carl holding Judith's sleeping body over his shoulder. But he wasn't looking at her, he was whispering with his father as he handed his little sister off to him.

Michonne listened for Carl's steps going back down the stairs before rushing to the window. She threw it open and grabbed a handful of snow from a pile on the sill. They'd had quite a storm the night before that blanketed the whole city in snow...just in time for a wonderfully white Christmas. Now she used it for the PG version of a cold shower.

"Are you okay?" Rick asked amused from his spot on the couch. "Nice to know I have this kind of affect on you."

"Yeah, don't flatter yourself," She said but still rubbed the fresh snow on her face and neck. The icy sensation on her cheeks barely counteracted the heat that radiated from her. She knew to her chagrin, Rick was right. Only he did that to her, made her feel like her flesh was on fire every time he touched her.

"Just tell me when he's coming back upstairs," She whispered to him.

"What _are_ you doing, woman?" He asked watching her.

"Are you watching?"

"Yeah," He answered easily but grinning devilishly at her when she turned quickly to look at him. There was a twinkle most definitely in his eye as he spoke. She smiled back thinking again of how lucky she was. "But is this mature?"

"Says the man who spent the last forty-five minutes making out with me on the couch like we're two kids in the backseat of a Camaro," Michonne said amused. "Just make sure you tell me when he's on his way back, _Adult_."

"Okay, okay," Rick whispered a minute later. "He's coming,"

The sounds of Carl's feet resounded on the creaky hardwood stairs and a moment later he was again standing in the archway of the den. He tossed something small to his father as he came into the room and walked to near where Michonne stood at the tree.

"What else is there to wrap?" He asked looking down at the heap of colorfully wrapped boxes that surrounded the tree.

Michonne looked at him with his shaggy dark hair falling into his bright blue eyes and she was so happy she'd been here to watch him grow. Even if it had just been for the past few years as he was turning from boy into man. It had been such a pleasure to know him, to see what a wonderfully good heart he had and what a credit to his father he was.

"Sooo," She started standing right in front of him with her hands behind her back. "Judith's hair was wet tonight."

Carl smiled and then shook his head, eyes downcast as if he was recalling a particularly pleasant memory.

"Do you know why that would be a source of concern to me given that she's just getting over a cold?" Michonne said seriously, to which the smile slipped from Carl's face and he looked up at her.

She looked over and saw Rick following the conversation carefully. They exchanged a brief look and Michonne winked at him quickly.

"Well," Carl started reluctantly. "We, um, Dré and I, we—"

"Did this?" Michonne said as she brought what she'd been holding behind her back forward: a large snowball made up of snow she'd gathered from the sill. Before he had time to react, she brought it over and put it right on top of Carl's head before rubbing it in. "Yeah, she told me."

Carl gasped then howled as behind him his father broke out in an enormous grin followed closely by a guffaw. The snow melted through his hair, running over his ears and down the sides of his face to fall in large slushy clumps onto his shoulders and down to his feet.

"So...yeah," Michonne laughed. "No more picking on your little sister, m'kay?"

"Geez, Dré helped." Carl added wiping the dripping water out of his eyes.

"Oh don't you worry about Dré, he'll get his too," She promised then screeched when Carl grabbed her suddenly by the upper arms and shook his wet hair in her face. He released her and ran for the other window, opening it and swiping fresh snow from the pristine sill.

"Don't you dare!" Michonne warned as Carl held a ball of snow to lob at her. "Not in this house!"

He paused, measuring the seriousness of her warning.

"Do you know what my grandma used to say?" She asked. "She said, 'It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye!'"

Carl puzzled at her non sequitur for a moment. "I don't get it. How do we always jump to losing an eye?"

"You do anything but gently put that snow back outside where you found it and we'll find out together," Michonne said with a evil smile.

She looked at Rick as he remained sitting smugly on the couch, watching the contretemps play out with a huge grin on his face.

"What are you guys doing?"

As if they'd called him, André came to the mouth of the den then with a smile already on his face and brightened more when he saw what was going on. Michonne saw as Rick grabbed him quickly and said something in his ear that sent him running toward the kitchen.

In her moment of distraction, Carl rushed her. As she hollered irrespective of the time or Judith sleeping nearby, he wrapped his arms around her as if he was hugging her and slapped the icy ball right on the back of her sweater. The wet slush seeped through the layers of fabric into her bare skin as she struggled with boy who had only just recently grown tall enough to overpower her.

 _Time flew._

"Aaah!" Michonne screamed feigning anguish, although, the snow _was_ icy cold. "That's it! Forget college, it's military school for you! Pack your bags. You're goin'!"

When he finally released her, Michonne saw Judith had woken up. She sat up at her father's side as Michonne and Carl watched, hushing each other. Her face wore the groggy confusion of sleep and her hair stuck straight up like it had been teased out by porcupine quills. She looked at the chaos around her.

"Daddy, what's happening?" She asked Rick innocently and they all cracked up laughing at her expense.

André reentered the den right then making a direct line for the coffee table in front of Rick and Judith. He put a piece of paper on the table between them smoothing it out on the surface. Michonne came closer as Rick reached back to grab a pen from the console table behind the couch.

"Wait, wait, don't cross it out yet," Michonne objected.

Officially, it had been agreed that the family Christmas party that evening was to be the culminating event and fulfillment of Michonne's wish on their bucket list. But the night and all the days they'd spent together previously had spoiled her, making her greedy. _She wasn't ready for it all to end yet._

"Not yet," She pled.

Rick's hand hesitated as they all huddled together, André bent at the waist with his hands on his thighs, Judith now sitting on the floor at her father's feet, Carl knelt at Michonne's side as if they were reviewing a game plan. Michonne nearly laughed at the children's serious expressions. Since its inception they'd all taken the list so incredibly seriously. Michonne had almost told Sasha that earlier, but there was no way to do that without sounding like she was bragging, even though it was true.

"Okay." He said with a light chuckle.

Rick's hand slid up two lines to his own item on the list, starting to cross it out before Michonne stilled him, putting her hand over his. "Hey, you can't do that. We haven't done yours yet. The rules say we can't cross it out before it's done."

"You're so hard to please tonight," He said teasingly then he dropped the subject completely and put the pen down. "So...how about we do _this_."

Michonne looked at him askance. As she watched, he pulled the small thing Carl had tossed to him earlier out from between the cushions at his side and put it on the table. It was a small black velvet box. He slid it toward her as she tried to make heads or tails of it.

She gasped before looking up at the assortment of faces smiling broadly back at her.

"How 'bout it? Michonne Hill, will you 'Make my Christmas wish come true' and marry me?"

Michonne choked back a sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob. After a moment of utter shock, she laughed nearly hysterically and cried a little too. She brought her hands up to cover her face briefly, squeezing her eyes shut. _This was so very far from that first painful Christmas she and André spent together alone without his dad._ Michonne felt Carl's hand on her back soothing her. Finally, she wiped her face, pushing the happy tears back and looked to see four pairs of eyes looking back at her expectantly.

" _Oh my god_ , I forgot to say yes! Of course!" She jumped to her feet at the same time Rick did and they embraced over the table. A minute later, he crushed her in his arms and dragged her to him clumsily over the table as Judith screamed delightedly clapping and the boys beamed.

Michonne took Rick's face in her hands and peppered it with small kisses. "Was this you or them?"

His face grew red as if he were blushing. "A bit o' both really...they were tired of us living in sin, I guess. But _this_ was definitely my Christmas wish, hands down."

"You didn't even look at the ring!" André said standing on their other side holding out the open box. The ring inside sparkled in the twinkling light cast by the Christmas tree. "I helped pick it out."

Michonne's eyes watered again as she looked down at her son. "It's gorgeous."

She let Rick slip it onto her finger as the kids "ohhh'd and ahhh'd" and chattered amongst themselves excitedly, already in the nascent phases of planning a wedding... _for next Christmas_.

"How in the _world_ did Christmas become my favorite holiday?" Michonne whispered into Rick's lips as chaos reigned around them.

 _No one was going to sleep anytime soon now, s_ he realized with a sigh.

Michonne kissed her sexy fiancé deeply then, while the others were distractedly talking, throwing her whole arm over his shoulder and pulling him close.

"Easy," Rick answered pulling her up onto her tiptoes so they were nose to nose. He looked over the entirety of her face adoringly, as if he could devour her. "Mr. Christmas and his little elves finally made a believer out of you."


End file.
